So when I read in several guide books that there was an Imperial Crypt full of Monarchs from the Holy Roman Empire, as well as members of the House of Habsburg, I just knew that we had to check it out!

* The unassuming entrance to the Crypt below. You wouldn't be able to tell at all that 12 Holy Roman Emperors and 18 Empresses are actually entombed here!

* Built in 1633, the Imperial Crypt has been the burial place for family members of the House of Habsburg for Centuries.

* The sarcophagi are placed and marked along a series of ten interconnected subterranean vaulted rooms.

* All in all, 145 members of the House of Habsburg are buried here, including the aforementioned 12 Emperors and 18 Empresses. A quarter of those entombed here were under 5 years old when they died.

* And since pretty much all of Europe (save for France, Scandinavia, and England) was once under the Habsburgs, you can definitely say that this is the final resting place for some of Europe's most powerful people.

* We were able to take loads of pics as there were so few people down there with us that day. Well, people who are living, that is!

* Looks like everyone here competed to have the most extravagant and ostentatious sarcophagus!

* The Sarcophagus of Kaiser Joseph I, who was King of Germany, Hungary, Bohemia (Czech Republic) and Holy Roman Emperor.

* The Sarcophagus of Charles VI, who was the younger brother of Joseph I. The skull on the left depicts a death's head wearing the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire.

* The Viennese people have a great fascination with death, with cemeteries being popular hang-outs and strolling grounds, and grand tombs being an indication of wealth and class.

* In fact, there exists insurance agencies called Sterbevereine, who provide applicants with opportunities to save up for a nice funeral throughout their lives.

* Musically, the Viennese people are also huge fans of highly sentimental music, with lyrics playing around the theme of death.

* The biggest and most grand of all the sarcophagi is most definitely that of Empress Maria Theresa.

* Reigning for 40 years, the Empress lived through a series of conflicts which afflicted the Empire: The War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War.

* Apart from her contributions and reputation for having lived through a critical time period in European history, the Empress is also famous for giving birth to sixteen children, of which the youngest daughter would grow up to become the Queen of France, the infamous Marie Antoinette.

* A look back on the main subterranean vault. Everything is eerily beautiful.

* The writer having the time of his life; his wife half-enjoying, half-freaked out.

* And the Crypt continues to be used today with the most recent entombment occurring in 2011 for Otto Von Habsburg, the last Crown Prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

* The hardworking people tasked with maintaining and safeguarding the Crypt are members of the Capuchin Friar Order, housed in the Church on top of the vaults.

* The unassuming (well compared to the others) sarcophagus of Leopold Wilhelm, Archduke of Austria and Governor of the Spanish Netherlands, who was an avid patron of the arts.

* Among the more contemporary Habsburgs entombed here are Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia. It was the assassination of his presumptive heir, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, that resulted in Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against the Kingdom of Serbia, leading to World War I.

* Franz Joseph I's wife, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (fondly called Sisi), was once hailed as one of Europe's most beautiful women.

* On top of the Crypt is the Capuchin Church, where the bodies of Habsburg monarchs lie in repose before being entombed below.

* And the most precious work of art in the Church is this Pieta by Peter Strudel, near the altar.

After experiencing the wonders and glory of Imperial Vienna, we proceeded to visit some of the other homes of the Habsburg monarchs. Seeing as how the Family at one point ruled ALL of continental Europe, save for France, their homes around Vienna are extravagantly and gloriously decorated.

* The Belvedere is this beautiful, historic building complex that once served as the summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy. A brilliant commander and statesman, Eugene fought wars against the French and Ottomans, and was referred to by Napoleon himself as one of the seven greatest commanders in history.

Vienna was the crown jewel and capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Much more than that though, Vienna was the home of the House of Habsburg, one of Europe's most important royal houses.

How important were they? Well the Holy Roman Emperor (ruler of all the Germanic States) from 1438 to 1740 was a member of the Habsburg Dynasty, and the Family ruled pretty much the whole of Continental Europe at one point, save for the territory of the Kingdom of France.

Because of this, Vienna is a city of great cultural, architectural, and historical significance as evidenced by how beautifully well planned everything is.

* Most of Vienna's imperial sights can be found along the Ringstrasse, a circular road which was built to replace the city walls, using money paid by the English for the safe release of King Richard the Lionheart (from the Crusades), who was held hostage by the Austrians.

The fourth stop on our Honeymoon Itinerary is the Imperial City of Vienna. The capital and largest city in Austria, Vienna was also the center of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire and is known as the "City of Music" due to its enormous musical legacy. A great cultural center in the history of man, Vienna was home to such prodigies as Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, and Schubert.

* One of the bonuses of this trip, was that we got to recreate a scene from one of my favorite movies of all time, Before Sunrise.

The legendary Danube River is Europe's second longest river, and runs across Central and Eastern Europe. Flowing through Bulgaria, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia and Ukraine, the Danube has been a major historical setting throughout European history, as well as a main source of trade and travel between the ancient Kingdoms.

* The dramatic-looking Hungarian Parliament Building is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary, but could easily blend in any Lord of the Rings movie.

Modern-day Budapest is actually a combination of two rival medieval cities: Buda and Pest. While flat Pest is located on the eastern bank of the fabled Danube River and has traditionally been Hungarian, Buda, located on the western bank, is hilly, full of trees, and was historically inhabited by Germans, Ottomans, and Serbians before finally being assimilated by the Hungarians.

* Buda was the former capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and thus contains Buda Castle, Matthias Church, and the Fisherman's Bastion.

The third stop on our honeymoon itinerary was the breathtaking city of Budapest. Often touted as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, Budapest is a feast for all the senses with an overabundance in culture, a great nightlife scene, and warm people.

* Founded in 895AD by the Seven Chieftains of the Magyars, Budapest is linguistically and culturally different from the rest of Europe, who can trace their lineage to either the Romance-speaking (Latin), Germanic, or Slavic people.

* It seems that almost every corner of Budapest has a statue or work of art erected in it. Here's a statue of Andras Hadik, a Hungarian nobleman and Field Marshall of the Habsburg Army, who captured the Prussian capital of Berlin during the Seven Years War.

* Our tour service that day was conducted by Discover Budapest, an awesome service run by a group of young Hungarians full of enthusiasm and zeal for their beautiful city.

* Apart from walking tours, they also offer bicycle and segway tours.

* Our tour began at the Hungarian State Opera House, designed by Miklos Ybl and located in Central Budapest. Funded by the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph, the Opera House was so grand that it rivaled the majesty of the Opera House in Vienna, capital of the Empire. The Emperor was said to have been so upset upon seeing it during the opening, that he stormed out causing a minor scandal to the delight of the Hungarian people.

* Due to its picturesque beauty and lower wages when compared to other cities in the West, Budapest has often been used as a substitute for other cities in various movies and music videos. In fact, a lot of movies set in Paris, London, and Russia, have actually been Budapest instead.

* Getting around Budapest is convenient with the Budapest Metro, the second oldest underground railway system in the world. First of course, is the London Tube.

* Hosok Tere, or in English: Heroes' Square, is one of Budapest's major squares and contains the aforementioned monument to the Seven Magyar Chieftains.

* Me, my woman, and the Magyar horde!

* Surrounding the Magyar Chieftains are sculptures showcasing the various Hungarian Kings of great importance. Among these are Stephen I (leftmost, converted himself and the entire Kingdom of Hungary to Catholicism), Andrew II (third from right, led a Crusade), and Bela IV (second from right, rebuilt the country after the Mongol invasion).

* On the other side of the square, there used to stand statues of the various Emperors of the Habsburg Dynasty, rulers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but all of these were damaged during World War II and replaced instead by other Hungarian National Heroes.

* Directly across the square is the neo-classical Hall of Art of Budapest, showcasing contemporary works of art.

* And across that, is the Museum of Fine Arts which showcases more classical works of art including Egyptian, Greek, and Roman antiquities.

* This Orthodox Cathedral looking building is actually the changing area for the humongous City Park Ice Rink, the largest and oldest ice rink in Europe. Them Hungarians love this place!

* Spectacular Baroque-styled building in the Vajdahunyad Castle Complex.

* No wonder movie production crews love it here! This could easily pass for a building in Paris or Rome.

* Creepy and extremely lifelike! We stared at this for quite some time, waiting for it to do something.

* My favorite architectural style in Vajdahunyad was this Transylvanian one. Looks like a home Dracula could call his own.

* A short walk through the park brings us to the Szechenyi Medicinal Bath Complex. Budapest has over 80 geothermal springs, and this one is the city's most popular and grand.

* The Hungarians love their Bath culture! Apart from the medicinal and therapeutic benefits of the baths itself, the Complex is a great place to socialize, gossip, or just play a game of chess.

* Going back to the city center, we stop by the huge Basilica of St. Stephen. Stephen I, who was the first King of Hungary, was responsible for converting the entire kingdom to Catholicism. Today, his right hand is stored in the reliquary.

* When visiting Budapest, make sure to try its signature dish: the strudel! Our guide took us to this restaurant frequented by all the locals.

* Fancy looking restroom sink!

* The strudel is a layered pastry with a sweet filling. Popular throughout the former members of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the strudel is similar to the Turkish baklava.

* This odd statue of a girl (fairy?) cleaning (?) a gentleman's ear made me chuckle.

* Check out that epic cloak! I wish we could wear something like that here but alas our country is just too humid.

The Writer

In 2011, a 26 year old millennial based in Manila, Philippines had a paradigm shift on his views on life, love, and faith. He then decided to set things right by embarking on a journey; one that would take him along the ancient streets of Jerusalem, the magical islands of Greece, the catacombs of Paris, and the heart of the Red Square in Moscow, among other cool and interesting locales. Follow Dane on his continuing six year long trek around the world!